Shock wave theory for rupture of rubber

TL;DR

This paper develops a shock wave theory for rubber rupture, explaining how rubber can rupture faster than sound and involve oblique shocks, incorporating dissipation and toughness changes.

Contribution

It introduces a novel shock wave model for rubber rupture, combining continuum, analytical, and numerical approaches to explain the phenomenon.

Findings

Rubber rupture can involve oblique shock waves traveling faster than sound.

The theory accounts for Kelvin dissipation and toughness increase during rupture.

Multiple levels of modeling provide comprehensive understanding of rubber rupture.

Abstract

This article presents a theory for the rupture of rubber. Unlike conventional cracks, ruptures in rubber travel faster than the speed of sound, and consist in two oblique shocks that meet at a point. Physical features of rubber needed for this phenomenon include Kelvin dissipation and an increase of toughness as rubber retracts. There are three levels of theoretical description: an approximate continuum theory, an exact analytical solution of a slightly simplified discrete problem, and numerical solution of realistic and fully nonlinear equations of motion.